


Start of Something New

by avengerskye



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Everyone Is Alive, Except Alaric, F/F, Fluff, He's not even there, High School Musical - Alternate Universe, Jock Hope, Nerd Josie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:29:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27690721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengerskye/pseuds/avengerskye
Summary: Hope Mikaelson has one goal in life : be a professional basketball player. She works hard everyday to achieve that goal and make her father proud. She's the captain of her team, one of the most popular girl in school and she has average grades. Her life is perfect as it is.Josie Parker has everything she could ever want. The most wonderful mom and a twin sister she loves dearly. Her path to Yale is already paved since she's what most people would call a genius. Her mother and her have been dreaming of Yale since Josie was 6. The only thing that's wrong is the fact that they are moving to a new town. Again.Hope and Josie meet on New Year's Eve at a Ski Resort, and fate is dead set on changing both of their plans for the future.Or; A High School Musical AU
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 59
Kudos: 163





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HI
> 
> I don't even know where this is coming from. I know I have a ton of fics already... BUT this idea wouldn't leave my mind. 
> 
> The first chapter is true to the beginning of the movie, but the rest of the fic won't be that much like the movie!
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this!!

Josie is sitting on her bed in the hotel room she shares with her mother. She has a book in hand, a book she hasn't put down in hours. The last time she did something else than reading is when her sister, Lizzie, called earlier that day. Now, with a few pages left of this book, nothing could take Josie away from it-

The book is forcibly closed and ripped out of Josie's hands. The brunette looks up, her mouth open in shock.

"Mom!"

Jo is standing in front of her daughter with a stern look on her face. Josie quickly crosses her arms and pouts, her best weapon against her mother.

"I told you almost an hour ago to get ready for the New Year's Eve party in The Lodge." Jo says.

Josie sighs and looks down. "Do I have to go?"

"Josie, you need to be around teenagers. I let you stay in this room for our whole stay here. I'm just asking you to spend one evening with people your age instead of dusty old books."

Josie stands up, and she offers a small smile to her mother. 

"I'll go, but only if you let me finish my book." The brunette tries to negotiate. "I'll even switch my sweatpants and hoodie for something a little more dressed up."

Jo's eyes light up. She hands her daughter the book she took from her a minute or two ago. Josie takes the book back with a sigh of relief.

"You have 30 minutes to finish it. Then, you dress up and go to The Lodge."

Josie nods as she already flips the pages of the book to find the one she was reading not too long ago. 

"Josie…" The teenager looks back at her mother. "30 minutes."

"I'll finish it in 20." Josie replies with a cheeky smile.

Her mother rolls her eyes, but there's a playful smile on her face.

* * *

In a room on the other side of the hotel, Hope is glaring at the dress on her bed. Her mother chose it for her, and let's just say the teenager doesn't like it.

"I don't wanna go." Hope finally ends up saying. "Can't I just go back to the gym and-"

"No, you can't." Hayley says. "We didn't come to this beautiful hotel for you and your father to lock yourself in a gym. Plus, you promised me you'd go to this party." Hayley says before letting out an exasperated sigh.

Hope glances at her father. Klaus is leaning on one wall of the room, looking in as his daughter and his wife are disagreeing. When he locks eyes with Hope, the man shakes his head, silently telling his daughter he won't fight Hayley on this.

"Fine!" Hope groans. "I don't wanna wear this though."

"What do you wanna wear?" Hayley says, rolling her eyes. "Your basketball tank top and some shorts?"

"No! I just don't wanna wear a dress."

"Then, don't wear the dress." 

Hayley opens Hope's suitcase. She quickly looks in it, and a smile appears on her face. For a moment, the auburn haired girl worries that her mother might have found something worse than the dress she chose before. After all, Hope didn't make her suitcase herself, her mom did. So, when Hayley gets a pair of black jeans and a long sleeved white shirt out of the suitcase, Hope sighs in relief. 

"Is that more to your liking, oh, dear daughter of mine?"

Hope chuckles and walks closer to her mother. She takes the clothes from Hayley's hands with a smirk.

"Thank you, mom."

Just as Hope heads for the bathroom to go change, her father speaks up.

"Don't stay out too late. We're still practicing tomorrow morning."

Hope smiles genuinely. "Don't worry, I know."

Klaus nods. "We're gonna go to the adult party. Do you have your magnetic card to get back inside the room?"

"Yeah. Have fun tonight." Hope says to both her parents.

"Have fun too, honey." Hayley says before leaving a quick kiss on Hope's temple. "Be careful."

"Don't take drinks from boys." Klaus quickly says. "Oh, and don't break too many hearts." He adds with a wink.

Hope rolls her eyes playfully and walks inside the bathroom. She takes a quick shower and washes her hair. When she's done with that, she dresses up and then dries her hair. She hesitates between letting her hair loose or tying them up in a ponytail before choosing the first option. Hope brushes her teeth and then takes a good look at herself in the mirror. 

_ Not bad.  _ She thinks to herself with a shrug.

She gets out of the bathroom, and quickly takes her leather jacket before walking out of the hotel room. Making her way to The Lodge takes a good five minutes of walking. When she gets there, Hope almost rolls her eyes. The teenager lounge is already packed with people. The teens are wearing all sorts of hats, and they're clearly having fun. Hope reluctantly walks inside. She stands close to the door for a minute or two, just looking around. People are talking loudly, they're dancing and there's a stage in the middle of the room where two awkward teens are doing karaoke.

She plans to stand there for a couple more minutes and then go back to her room, just to keep the promise she made to her mother. Life seems to have other plans though, because a boy and a girl walk behind her and accidently push her forward. She turns around and glares at them, ready to snap, but then a light catches her eyes, making her turn back to the stage.

"The light has found the next performer!" The guy standing on the stage says with a large smile.

Hope's eyes go wide. "W-what?" A girl behind her pushes Hope forward, getting a glare from the auburn haired girl. "No! I don't sing." The boy on the stage takes her hand, making her come up the stairs to stand next to him. "Come on, I told you-"

Hope stops talking when she sees another girl being dragged on stage much like she had been. The brunette has a book in hand, and she looks in shock. Hope feels bad for her, it looks like she doesn't understand what's happening. Their eyes lock for a second before the brunette looks down, her cheeks turning a light pink color. 

The boy who had them both dragged on stage still has a big smile on. He puts a hand on Hope's shoulder, and the other on the brunette's shoulder.

"Now, no need to be shy, girls! We're all friends here, right everyone?" The teens in the room all cheer loudly. "See? Now, enjoy your 3 minutes of fame."

The boy pats both of their shoulders, gently takes the book from the brunette's hands and then walks off the stage. As soon as he's gone, the music starts, and the lyrics appear on the screens. The girl by Hope's side is still looking down, so the auburn haired girl swallows her pride and starts singing. Her voice comes out shaky and nervous, and from the corner of her eyes, Hope can see the brunette glancing at her. 

As soon her part is done, Hope turns to the side, looking at the crowd. She debates walking off the stage, she really doesn't think the girl will sing her part, but then… Then, the most beautiful voice reaches Hope's ears. She turns back around, letting herself stare at the girl fully for a moment. The brunette is beautiful, she hadn't caught that before. Quickly, Hope joins the song again. They keep stealing shy glances at each other while they're singing, but when the chorus hits, and their voices blend together, they can't stop the smiles that appear on their faces. The singing experience suddenly turns into something beautiful. 

When her second verse starts, Hope feels a lot more confident. She gives a smirk to the girl next to her as she takes her leather jacket off. Everyone cheers in the room, but the only person Hope has eyes for is shyly looking away once more. She's glad it doesn't last this time, the brunette is soon singing along and smiling at Hope again. Their eye contact lasts more than a second now, and the auburn haired girl loves it. Slowly, she sees the shy girl loosen up as their chemistry is growing.

Then, feeling a little bold, Hope takes a couple of steps closer to the girl as she sings. The brunette doesn't move at first, but when their bodies start being too close, she takes a step back, almost falling off the stage. Thankfully, teens in the crowd gently push her forward, keeping her from falling. The brunette laughs a little, and it makes Hope smile wider. They keep singing, closer than before and looking each other in the eyes. 

Finally, the song ends and people start to cheer. Hope and her singing partner are left looking at each other, both a little in awe of what just happened. The guy that made them step on stage thanks them, and announces that they'll choose two more people for the next song. Hope quickly walks off the stage taking her jacket back in the process. Then, she offers her hand to the brunette to help her down. The girl accepts the help with the same shy smile she had during most of the song. As soon as they're standing face to face again, Hope leans close to the girl's left ear.

"I'm Hope." She says before she leans back.

The brunette smiles, and then leans closer to Hope. "Josie."

The name makes Hope smile.

"Wanna get something to drink with me?" The auburn haired girl asks.

Josie frowns. "What did you say?"

Hope repeats herself, but adds hand movements to show Josie what she's asking. The brunette nods, and they quickly go to the bar-like place to order something. Hope pays for both of their drinks, despite Josie protesting. After a minute or two of them attempting to have a conversation, the brunette suggests they should go outside, and Hope quickly agrees. 

They walk outside The Lodge, and make their way to one of the high tables. Without the loud music and shouting teens, Hope feels more at peace. Josie seems way less shy than she was when she was pushed on stage, and it makes Hope feel warm and happy.

"You totally did that before, right?" The Mikaelson girl asks.

Josie shakes her head. "No, not really. I mean, I was in a choir with my sister when I was a kid, but that's more Lizzie's thing."

"No way, this is totally your thing too! Did you hear yourself?"

The brunette's cheeks turn pink again as she momentarily avoids Hope's eyes. It's quick though, and soon she's looking back at the auburn haired girl.

"What about you?" Josie asks instead of answering Hope's question. "Have you done this before?"

"Oh, yeah. Tons of times actually… in my shower."

Josie giggles at Hope's joke, and the Mikaelson girl smiles as the sound reaches her ears. Before any of them can say something else, the teenagers inside The Lodge and outside of it start the countdown to midnight. Josie and Hope glance at each other, the shyness taking over both of them suddenly. 

_ "3…" _

Hope looks up at Josie.

" _ 2… _ "

Josie looks down at Hope.

" _ 1… _ "

Their eyes lock.

" _ Happy New Year! _ "

The loud cheers and the fireworks seem to shake Josie, and she quickly avoids Hope's eyes again as a nervous chuckle leaves her lips. 

"I should probably go find my mother, I promised to find her at midnight." Josie blurts out.

"Oh…" Hope can barely hide her disappointment. "Okay, yeah. I should probably go back to my room, I have basketball practice tomorrow."

They stare at each other a little while longer, neither of them really wanting to say their goodbyes.

"Maybe… I could give you my number? This way we could stay in touch, and maybe even see each other tomorrow?" Hope quickly says, slightly afraid Josie might disappear just like a dream.

The brunette's face lights up. "Yeah!" She gets her phone out of her pocket. "Here, add your number. Do you want me to give you mine?"

"You don't mind?" Hope asks.

Josie shakes her head and extends her hand, waiting for Hope to give her her phone. The auburn haired girl quickly reaches for her own phone in the pocket of her jeans and hands it to Josie. They both type their numbers in each other's phone, and Hope quickly snaps a funny picture to add to her contact profile. When Josie sees her do that, she decides to do the same. As they hand back their respective phones, they share a smile.

Hope looks down at Josie's picture on her phone, and when she looks up to say goodbye to the brunette, she's already gone. A sort of wonder quickly invades Hope, and she looks at nothing in particular as her mind is filled with her with the memories of the night.

"Josie…" 

The name escapes her lips without her consent, but she likes the way it rolls out of her mouth. 

_ Will I ever see you again? _ Hope wonders.

She sighs, and starts walking back to the hotel. She won't get the answer to her question tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

Josie's elbow is resting on her desk as she leans her cheek against her hand. She's been looking at her sister through the screen of her laptop as the blonde chooses what to wear for her first day back at school. Lizzie has been rambling about something Josie hasn't paid attention to. The brunette's thoughts are elsewhere. Josie sighs and looks down at her phone.

She received no messages from Hope after they sang together on New Year's Eve. Josie wonders if the auburn haired girl ghosted her because the brunette left quickly after they exchanged their numbers. The Parker girl has been beating herself up over this. After realizing she left her book inside The Lodge, Josie decided to go back and get it. She just forgot to tell Hope about it. She could've texted Hope first, but the only thought of doing that was nerve wracking for the brunette. So, she's been hopelessly looking at her phone since that night.

"Josie! Are you even listening to me?" Lizzie says after sitting back down in front of her own laptop.

The brunette twin slightly jumps, totally distracted by her thoughts. She looks back at the screen, and gives a sheepish smile to her sister when she sees Lizzie looks pissed.

"Sorry, Lizzie." Josie quickly says. "I was…" She pauses and bites her lip. "Thinking."

"Yeah, you've been 'thinking' a lot since New Year's Eve." Lizzie says, her voice full of suspicion. "Did something happen at that ski resort?"

Josie straightens up, and does her best to not let her twin see how nervous she suddenly is, but she's pretty sure the blush on her cheeks will betray her. Lizzie's lips stretch into a smirk and she gets closer to her laptop's camera.

"Josette Lucas Parker!" Lizzie says quickly. "You've been keeping something from me. Spill the truth, dear twin of mine."

Josie hides her face in her hands and groans. She wants to tell her sister about Hope, but admitting the auburn haired girl has been ghosting her (and that she's been doing the same) is so embarrassing.

"I met a girl." The brunette blurts out. "There was karaoke and we had to sing together. She was gorgeous, confident and sweet. We talked and even spent the count down to the new year together, and then I blew my chances."

Lizzie's eyes are wide as she takes every little bit of information in. 

"What do you mean by 'I blew my chances'?"

Josie decides there's no point in hiding anything from her twin, so she opens her mouth to explain everything, but a sudden knock on her door stops her. The brunette turns around and sees her mom standing in the door frame. 

"Hi mom!" Lizzie says with a big smile.

"Oh, good morning sweetie." Jo says as she gets closer to Josie and the laptop. "I'm sorry to interrupt, girls, but Josie needs to get ready. We're leaving in 15 minutes."

Josie's eyes go wide and she quickly looks down at her Christmas pyjamas. The brunette twin quickly stands up and goes to her desk. Within a couple of seconds, she finds some decent pants, a shirt to wear and some underwear. Then, she goes back to where her laptop is on her studying desk.

"Need to go. Have a good day, Lizzie!"

"What? You didn't finish telling me about the girl you met!"

"No time left, bye!" The brunette quickly hangs up on her sister.

When Josie straightens up again and she makes eye contact with her mother, Jo is looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"A girl?"

Josie nervously avoids eye contact and walks toward the bathroom. 

"I met her on New Year's Eve." Josie decides to say as an explanation. "I'll probably never see her again. Can we cut this conversation short? I'm late."

As soon as Jo nods, Josie disappears into the bathroom.

* * *

As soon as she steps out of the school bus, Hope finds herself surrounded by people. She puts her best smile on, and tries to greet all of her friends and acquaintances. It's only when Kaleb gets closer and puts his arm around her shoulders that Hope truly feels comfortable though. Her best friend had always felt more comfortable than her around big crowds. 

"Hey hottie, how was your Christmas break?" He casually asks as he guides them towards the school. 

"Oh, you know… The usual, nothing much happened."

Hope can't help but think about how big of a lie she just told. She just can't tell the truth though. She could tell Kaleb about the basketball part, and even about the ski resort part. The thing she can't share is the moment she had with a certain brunette, and how thoughts of that brunette haunted her for the rest of Christmas break. 

He smirks. "Well, I hope you played some basketball with your old man because the championship is coming and we count on you to win this." He then turns to the crowd, and his next words are louder than before. "What team?"

"Wildcats!" Everyone cheers around them and Hope can't stop herself from playfully rolling her eyes. 

They finally walk inside the school, and the Mikaelson girl spots the Machado twins walking in their direction. Hope quickly looks at the ground avoiding both of their stares. Memories of the week before Christmas break flood the auburn haired girl's mind, and she can't bring herself to make eye contact with the twins. The way she was asked out by the both of them on the same day, and that they both asked her to not tell the other twin is still fresh in Hope's mind. The thing is she doesn't have feelings for any of them.

The twins walk by them, both looking down at their phones and acting as if the school belonged to them. Hope lets a sigh of relief out, and looks back up, just in time to see the science club throwing them some exasperated looks at them. Hope pays no attention to them, and instead decides to listen to what Kaleb is now saying. 

"This championship is all that counts now!" He loudly says. "And you-" He squeezes Hope close to him. "Will lead us to victory!"

Hope chuckles, and this time when everyone shouts "Wildcats", she shouts with them.

* * *

The size of the school is definitely intimidating and as soon as Josie puts a foot inside, she feels her stomach getting upset. Her first day at a new school was always the worst. The stares, the whispers… Dealing with that is a nightmare for the brunette. If only Lizzie was with her, but no, her twin is back in New York with their father. 

So Josie follows her mother around school. She looks all around her, taking everything in. The colors of the school, the trophies, the students. She realises that the school seems to be focused on sports a lot, basketball being the most popular. At one point, they end up at the front desk where the principal joins them. The man offers to walk them through the school and Jo accepts.

Josie tunes them out as they walk through the halls again. They stop at her locker, and she quickly gets her things inside, keeping only the stuff necessary for her first class. They start walking again, and Josie decides to suddenly pay attention to what the man is saying.

"Your records are impressive, Josie." He says with a smile. "I hope you'll be able to thrive here at East High. We have a good science department and-"

Josie quickly turns to her mother. "Mom, I don't want people to think I'm a genius freak again."

Jo gives the principal a sorry look before looking back at her daughter.

"Josie, everyone does what they are good at. Some people are into sports, so they join a team. Some people are good at singing, so they sing. And some people, like you, are good at science." Jo gently caresses Josie's cheek. "Do what you love and you'll find people who will appreciate and love you just as you are."

The younger brunette forces a smile and nods. There's no point in arguing with her mother now. The bell rings, signaling the beginning of classes and they're on their way once more. 

As soon as she walks inside the classroom, Josie goes to the teacher to introduce herself. The blonde woman seems bubbly and she immediately makes Josie feel welcome. She sends the brunette to a seat in the back of the class, and Josie walks there with her eyes glued to the floor. 

At one of the front desks, Hope is sitting down with her friends. The front wouldn't be Hope's first choice, but Mrs. Forbes forced them to sit there to keep an eye on them. The captain of the Wildcats doesn't really care, in the end she's still sitting with her friends. 

Maya walks by Hope's desk and throws her a flirty look. Hope forces a little smile and quickly looks back at Jed who's telling some story about what he did during the break when Hope catches sight of a familiar brunette. The Mikaelson girl's blue eyes grow wide and she almost doesn't believe what she's seeing. Josie walks into their classroom, goes straight to Mrs. Forbes and then to the back of the room. Hope's eyes stay glued to her the whole way. It's all so unbelievable to the basketball player, that she quickly turns back around.

"Do you know her?" Kaleb whispers.

"Kinda." Hope quietly says back.

The Mikaelson girl gets her phone out of the pocket of her jeans. Mrs. Forbes starts talking, but Hope pays no attention to her. She looks down to the screen of her phone and quickly finds Josie's contact. Without thinking it over, Hope calls the brunette. Almost immediately, a ring is being heard in the classroom. Most of the students look through their bags to find their phone, including Josie Parker at the back of the room. Hope's eyes quickly find their way back to the brunette who's been occupying her thoughts since New Year's Eve. 

"Oh, I see we're starting the year on a high note." Mrs. Forbes says as she takes a bucket from her desk. She starts walking between the desks and collects the phones out. "Maya and Ethan, I guess I'll see you both in detention." She gets to the back of the class, and stops at Josie's desk. "I see we'll have time to get to know each other, Miss Parker."

Josie lifts her head, and opens her mouth before quickly closing it and surrendering her phone. As she looks back at the front of the classroom, Josie makes direct eye contact with Hope. The brunette's eyes go comically wide, and all Hope can do is give her a sorry smile and an awkward wave.

"Oh, Miss Mikaelson, I see your phone is out too." Mrs Forbes collects Hope's phone. "Detention for you too."

Hope winces as she hears the words. There's basketball practice after school, her father is gonna be so mad at her. 

"What? No! You can't do that-" Kaleb stops himself when Mrs. Forbes starts glaring at him. "Please, your honor. We have basketball practice after school and-"

"You just got yourself a place in detention too, Mr. Hawkins."

MG snickers and then whispers. "How will the basketball team survive without their captain?"

"Detention for you, Mr. Greasley!" Mrs. Forbes is fuming at this point. "Anyone else want to join them? The drama club can use every bit of help to build the decor of the musical."

The whole classroom falls silent. No one dares to even move, but then Jed lifts his hand.

"Yes, Jed?" 

"How was your break, Mrs. Forbes?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, but I hope you still enjoyed this!


	3. Chapter 3

Hope spends the whole drama class hour glancing back at Josie. The brunette catches her a couple of times, offering soft smiles when their eyes meet. Hope's a little embarrassed when she gets caught, but she can't stop herself from looking back again and again. It's as if she's afraid Josie will disappear if she doesn't look back.

When the bell rings and the class is dismissed, Hope quickly gathers her things and she's the first one out. She leans on the wall next to the classroom and tries her best to act normal. She greets every one of her friends that pass by her, and does her best to ignore Kaleb's questioning eyes. Since Josie was sitting in the back of the classroom, Hope is not surprised to see she's the last one to walk out of the room. The brunette steps out with a smile on and looking frantically around. Hope's smile softens and she quickly walks to Josie. When she's close enough, the auburn haired girl gently places her hand on the Parker girl's shoulder.

"Hey." She softly says. 

Josie quickly turns to face Hope. "I can't believe it!"

"Me neither."

"My mom got a new job here. We moved just after New Year's Eve." The brunette explains excitedly. "I had no idea you actually lived here!"

"Yeah. I've been living here all my life." Hope says as they start walking.

Josie nods, and starts looking around as well as the schedule in her hands. Hope walks beside the brunette, suddenly feeling a little awkward since Josie's staying quiet. She shoves her hands into the pockets of her jeans, and tightly smiles.

"I tried finding you on New Year's day, you know." Josie ends up saying.

Hope scratches the back of her head. "I had basketball practice in the morning and then we left in the afternoon." She pauses for a second or two. "You disappeared after the countdown."

Josie finally looks back at Hope, and gives the auburn haired girl a sheepish smile.

"I realised I left my book inside, so I ran back in to get it and I forgot to tell you. When I came back outside you were gone."

Hope chuckles. "That actually makes a lot of sense."

They keep walking for a little while until Josie stops in front of the extracurricular activities board. The biggest poster is for the school's musical and the sheet is bright pink. 

"Oh, now that you've spent a whole hour in Mrs. Forbes' class, I'm sure you're dying to sign up for the musical." Hope teases the brunette by her side. 

Josie chuckles as she shakes her head.

"I won't be signing up for anything for a while." The Parker girl says softly. "I'd like to-"

"Hope!" Maya says as she appears next to the board, interrupting Josie. "Aw, you're giving the new girl a tour of the school. That's so sweet of you."

Maya winks and turns to the pink poster on the board. As she writes her name in big letters on it, Josie and Hope share an amused look. When Maya turns back to them, her smile turns into a fake shocked expression.

"Oh, did you want to sign up too? I'm sure Mrs. Forbes will find you a supporting role." She smiles once more. "Ethan and I are going for the leads, of course. Our years of training assure us the roles."

"I thought the leads were romantically involved?" Hope asks with a frown.

"Yeah, and?" Maya snaps back before she smiles sweetly. "Hope, I was wondering if you thought about what we talked about before the break?"

Hope's cheeks heat up and she avoids Maya and Josie's eyes and looks at the floor instead. 

"I'm really flattered, but-"

Maya cuts her off. "Take your time to think about it! Bye!" She waves as she turns around and leaves.

Hope's mouth drops and she glances at Josie who is barely containing her laughter. 

"Apparently, no was not the right answer." The brunette says.

The Mikaelson girl crosses her arms. "Well, it's the only one I can give her."

Seeing Hope's pouty face, Josie stops laughing. She waits a couple of seconds and then gently bumps the auburn haired girl's shoulder with her own. 

"You should sign up for the musical. I'd come cheering for you."

Hope vigorously shakes her head. "No way. Singing is not my thing. My friends wouldn't understand."

Josie hums. "What's your thing? Basketball?" 

"Uh, yeah?"

"There has to be more to you than that."

Before Hope can say anything else, the bell rings and they have to go to separate classes. As she walks toward her class, Hope looks back at Josie. For some reason, the brunette's words keep echoing inside her head.

* * *

As usual, Hope spends most of the lunch hour in the gym with her teammates to practice. For the first time, she's not focused on her basketball tricks though. Her conversation with Josie is still fresh in her mind. Singing with the brunette again was an idea that got stuck into her head.

"Hey, Kaleb." Hope says when she catches the ball her best friend just sent her way. "What do you think of the musical?"

"The musical?" He says, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Why do you ask?"

Hope plays with the ball in her hands for a couple of seconds before looking back up at her friend and giving him a shrug.

"It could be a good way to get extra points and get Mrs. Forbes off my back."

Kaleb's laughter echoes through the gym.

"No way." The boy says. "Focus on basketball, man. Singing in ridiculous costumes' not for you."

Her best friend's reaction causes Hope's heart to sink. She honestly didn't think he'd turn down the idea so quickly. In order to not let him see how bad it affected her, Hope forces a laugh before throwing the ball in the hoop. The ball slips right through, without Hope even putting an effort into her throw. As it falls to the floor, the Mikaelson girl sighs and wonders why it doesn't fill her with joy anymore.

* * *

Josie's last class of the day is a chemistry class. She's both excited and nervous to attend it. The teacher makes her sit down at a table next to a boy from her drama class. If she remembers correctly he got detention too this morning. The boy gives her a warm smile, and even tells Josie he'd be more than happy to help her study for the class if she needs it. Josie smiles and thanks him. She doesn't mention the fact that she'd probably never need help in this particular class. In front of her is that girl who talked to Hope earlier when they were in front of the musical's poster. The girl is loudly chewing gum and twirling a strand of her curly brown hair. When their eyes meet, Maya gives Josie her fakest smile before looking back down at her nails. Josie silently chuckled and shakes her head.

The class goes by smoothly and Josie finds herself really enjoying it. MG and her seem to be the only ones feeling that way though. At one point, the teacher starts writing down a series of equations, but one in particular makes Josie stop. She frowns and reads it again. There's something wrong with it. She looks back at her notes, and quickly finds why it's wrong. Without hesitation, Josie lifts her hand in the air. When the teacher gives her the right to speak, she quickly explains where she saw an error and how it should be corrected. It's only when Josie feels everyone's eyes on her that she realises she may have made a mistake. The teacher ends up thanking Josie and correcting the equation. 

Josie spends the remaining time of the class looking down at her notes or looking at the board, avoiding everyone's eyes. She misses the way Maya seems to be studying her, and how excited MG looks. When the bell rings, she quickly gathers her stuff and runs out of class. She still has detention to attend.

"Josie, wait for me!" MG calls out.

The brunette debates on acting like she didn't hear him, or actually waiting for him. In the end, she decides to stop walking and turning to face MG. 

"Hey…" She says.

"Hi! Come on, I'll lead you to detention. Look girl, you killed it in class." He says, putting an arm over Josie's shoulders. "You should definitely join the Science Club. We're participating in a Scholastic Decathlon in a month, and we could use a fresh face!"

Josie's eyes grow big, and before she gets the chance to protest, MG starts talking again. A little behind them, Maya is also walking in the direction of the auditorium for her detention. Ethan suddenly appears by her side, seeming out of breath.

"You won't believe what I saw."

Maya jumps. "Geez! Don't do that to me, idiot."

"Sorry. Okay, now listen to me." He takes a deep breath. "I was walking away from my last class, and I saw Hope Mikaelson standing in front of the musical's poster. She seemed really interested."

The girl frowns. "Weird. I saw her with the new girl earlier, and they were standing in front of it too."

"Do you think they could be considering-"

Maya raises a hand to stop him. "We're talking about Hope Mikaelson. She's hot and all, but musicals are not her thing. We don't have to worry. Maybe she's just considering coming to see us perform."

Ethan goofily grins. "Yeah."

As soon as everyone is there for their detention, Mrs. Forbes assigns them tasks. Hope and Kaleb have to assemble and paint a tree, Josie is painting a moon with MG, and the twins have to sort the costumes into categories. The proximity of their pieces allow Josie and Hope to steal glances at each other. Each time they make eye contact, they quickly look back at their work and blush. 

About fifteen minutes after the start of their one hour detention, Klaus Mikaelson comes through the door of the auditorium.

"Forbes! Why are two of my players painting a tree?!"

"They are paying for their crime, Mikaelson." Caroline practically spits out. "You know, I actually think it will benefit them to be close to this beautiful form of art that is theatre instead of throwing a ball into a goal."

"They throw  _ baskets _ into  _ hoops _ , Forbes! Hope is the captain of the team, she can't miss a practice! The whole team is counting on  _ her _ ." Hope's father angrily says back before looking at his daughter and Kaleb. "You two, in the gym, now." He looks back to Caroline once more. "We're gonna go explain ourselves to the principal."

The two teachers walk out of the auditorium equally angry. Hope and Kaleb quickly walk out too, and the auburn haired girl does her best to avoid Josie's eyes, finding the situation incredibly embarrassing. As of Josie, she looks Hope go with sympathy written all over her face. She can't help but feel bad as she realises that Hope is under a lot of pressure.

* * *

It takes a good 15 minutes for Klaus to get back into the gym after he has gone to the principal's office with Mrs. Forbes. Hope and Kaleb had the time to change and warm up. When Klaus walks in, everyone stops what they're doing.

"Everyone, gather up." He calls out, and soon he's surrounded by the whole team. "Last year, we lost the championship to West High. We promised each other that this year, we would come back as winners! For that to happen, I need each and every one of you to be focused." He ends his sentence looking at Hope and only her. "You are a team, and if one doesn't have their head in the game, then it's over."

Through her dad's speech, Hope feels more and more under the spotlight. She knows he's talking about her, and it makes her defensive. She looks around at her teammates and frowns as she sees them drinking in her father's words. They all think like him. There's an uneasy feeling in Hope's stomach and she suddenly feels like running away. 

"What team?!" Kaleb shouts.

Hope clenches her jaw as everyone answers. She makes eye contact with her father, and swallows with difficulty. Kaleb repeats his question, and this time Hope answers with everyone while maintaining eye contact with Klaus. Finally satisfied, the man tells them to get in place and the practice starts. 

* * *

When detention ends, MG walks with Josie outside of the auditorium.

"You should really consider joining the Science Club. You have so much potential."

Josie gives him a sorry smile. "I really wanna focus on catching up on my classes and fitting in. Maybe I could join next year?" The brunette knows she needs to change the subject or MG will keep pushing. "Hey, what can you tell me about Hope Mikaelson?"

"Hope?" He seems taken by surprise. "Why would I know anything about her? She's a primate like her basketball friends. Like, seriously, we don't belong to her world." 

"Have you ever tried to get to know her?" Josie asks, refusing his answer.

He snorts. "Not interested, thank you. You could ask Ethan and Maya though, I think they're co-presidents of Hope's fan club."

Josie sighs. "Okay, I get it. You're not her biggest fan."

"The jocks and the cheerleaders go together, that's how it works. Us, the ones with the brains, we gotta stick together." MG explains. "Eat lunch with us tomorrow, then you can give me your final answer for the spot in the club, okay?"

Seeing his pleading eyes, Josie can't stop herself from agreeing. After a quick stop to their lockers, they walk out of school together discussing random things. As they walk down the stairs just outside of school, Josie spots Hope a little ahead of them. The girl is walking toward the parking lot reserved for the school staff with the coach of the basketball team.

"MG, why is Hope leaving with her coach?" She asks before she can stop herself. 

"Oh, Mr. Mikaelson is her dad." He says with a shrug.

The brunette immediately thinks about how everything makes a lot more sense now that she has that information. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
